Govt to continue river-linking project: Dasmunshi
New Delhi, September 14
The government has no intention to abandon the river-linking project and it is very much alive. The government was expecting the feasibility report of the linking of rivers in the country, said Minister for Water Resources Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi here today.

BJP to follow Chhattisgarh style in Jharkhand poll
New Delhi, September 14
Like in Chhattisgarh polls last year, the BJP has decided to hit the husting early in Jharkhand, where Assembly polls are due next year, and not to
project anyone as a Chief Ministerial candidate.

BJP calls Laloo joker in Cong circus
New Delhi, September 14
Annoyed over Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav’s allegations against its leaders, including Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani, the BJP today warned him against making “baseless allegations” and dubbed him as “a joker in the Congress circus”.

Buta lobbying for Bidar seatNew Delhi, September 14
Having lost in the recent Lok Sabha elections, former Home Minister Buta Singh is making one more attempt to enter Parliament.Congress sources said he was now lobbying hard for a ticket from Bidar in Karnataka.

Trinamool Cong MLAs held, freed
Kolkata, September 14
Over 10 Trinamool Congress MLAs demonstrating in front of the Writers Buildings today were allegedly beaten up by the police. They were arrested, put in a prison van and taken to
Lalbazar.

Murder accused brought back to Delhi for prosecutionNew Delhi, September 14
The Delhi police has brought Narender Subba, the main accused in the Milan Limbu Subba murder case, to Delhi for prosecution.
Narender was arrested from Siliguri while he was allegedly trying to escape to Nepal.
The police has also arrested four other persons, including Jyoti, wife of
M.K. Subba, MP from Tejpur, Assam.

Prime
accused Naredra Subba, who is involved in the high-profile
sensational Vasant Kunj Subba farmhouse murder case, being
brought back to New Delhi on Tuesday. — Tribune photo by
Mukesh Aggarwal

Lodha told to submit original will in 10 days
Kolkata, September 14
Two days before the annual general meeting of the Birla Corporation on Thursday,
the Birlas will controversy took a new turn, following Calcutta High Court’s
decision to grant 10 days time to Rajendra Lodha to submit the original of the
registered purported will of Priyamvada Birla by which he has been bequeathed
the Rs 5,000 crore worth assets of M P Birla group.

Film actress and dancer Debasree Roy and tabla maestro Tanmoy
Bose (centre)rehearsing with troupe members for an upcoming live
concert, in Kolkata on Tuesday.
— PTI

Burmese refugees can stay till further notice: MEA
New Delhi, September 14
The Ministry of External Affairs has conveyed to the National Human Rights Commission that it has no objection to the Burmese refugees staying in India till their status is confirmed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Make Prasar Bharati ‘financially independent’
New Delhi, September 14
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Jaipal Reddy today stressed the need for evolving a political consensus to ensure financial autonomy to Prasar
Bharati.

Spreading message of Gurbani
Jaipur, September 14
Mr Prakash Singh, an 18-year-old blind boy from Ludhiana district of Punjab, has joined a disabled couple here in its mission to spread the message of Gurbani to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the installation of Guru Granth Sahib.

61 UP districts drought-hit
Lucknow, September 14
The Uttar Pradesh Government has declared 61 districts out of 70 districts in the state as drought-hit, suspending revenue recovery from these areas till the end of the current fiscal year. So far, 61 districts have been declared drought-hit as over 50 per cent of kharif crop was damaged due to poor rainfall.

Sowing of rice, cereals, pulses slips
New Delhi, September 14
The area covered under rice, pulses and cereals for the kharif season is below normal. However, that for oilseeds has reached an all-time high despite an erratic and deficient rainfall in July and September.

Provide Punjab farmers incentives, PM urged
New Delhi, September 14
Punjab Pardesh Congress Committee vice-president M.M. Singh Cheema called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here today and apprised him of the political situation in the state.

20 cr for heart operations on 419 kids
Hyderabad, September 14
The Andhra Pradesh Government has released Rs 20 crore for taking up heart operations on 419 kids suffering from various cardiac ailments in the state.

Muslim board divided on family planning
New Delhi, September 14
The All-India Muslim Personal Law Board today distanced itself from its vice-president Syed Kalb-e-Sadiq’s views favouring family planning for Muslims, saying that it was his personal view.

Kashmiri Pandits observe Martyrs’ Day
New Delhi, September 14
The Kashmiri Pandits observed Martyrs Day today and remembered the Kashmiri Pandits who fell victim to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir in the past decade and a half.
They accused the successive governments of ignoring their plight and demanded their involvement in the peace process.
“Nobody is concerned about the fate of the community which is on the verge of
extinction”, Mr M.K. Kaw, President of the All-India Kashmiri Samaj, said.

Members of the All-India Kashmiri Samaj carry placards while staging a protest to observe Kashmiri Martyrs’ Day in New Delhi on Tuesday. — PTI
photo

Patil chairs high-level meeting on KashmirNew Delhi, September 14
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil today chaired a high-level meeting on Kashmir during which all issues pertaining to the security in the state and dialogue with separatist leaders, including the Hurriyat Conference, were discussed.

Prof Kochhar on world body
New Delhi, September 14
Professor Rajesh Kochhar, Director, NISTADS (National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies), New Delhi, has been elected a member of the Executive Committee of WAITRO (World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organisation), at its recently concluded Biennial Congress in Nairobi, Kenya.

Gujarat cops in Mumbai
Mumbai, September 14
A Gujarat police team arrived here today to record the statement of key witness in the Best bakery suit Zaheera Sheikh in a case pertaining to threats allegedly made to her by a Vadodara MLA.

New Delhi, September 14
The government has no intention to abandon the river-linking project and it is very much alive. The government was expecting the feasibility report of the linking of rivers in the country, said Minister for Water Resources Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi here today.

Talking to mediapersons after a meeting with the all-party delegation of West Bengal regarding the problems concerning irrigation and desilting in the state, Mr Dasmunshi said the work on the linking of rivers in the peninsular region would begin first and a decision on the Himalayan component of the river-linking scheme would be taken up later.

He claimed that the river-linking project was a scheme of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and it was she who had set up the National Water Development Authority in 1982 for achieving the purpose. The government was expecting the feasibility reports by December 2005, he added.

The minister said there were so many hurdles like the environment and rehabilitation, which had to be considered before the decision was taken on the river-linking schemes.

The consultations of the states were an important step because the concurrence of the states was an important process for taking the decision, he said.

On the ongoing talks on the sharing of the Teesta waters between India and Bangladesh in Dhaka, he said the technical experts were seized of the issue.

“We have good relationship with Bangladesh and there should be no problem in sharing the waters,” he said. He also downplayed the fears expressed by Bangladesh for the river-linking project.

He said the Task Force appointed by the previous NDA government had submitted its report and the government would consider it.

About the problems raised by the Bengal delegation, he said the Centre would give all necessary help and support. But the state government also should come out with its proposals, he added.

The delegation was led by West Bengal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Excise Prabod Chandra Singh.

New Delhi, September 14
Like in Chhattisgarh polls last year, the BJP has decided to hit the husting early in Jharkhand, where Assembly polls are due next year, and not to

project anyone as a Chief Ministerial candidate.

The party has decided to have a fortnight-long rath yatra of top state leaders, beginning from October 2, from four corners of the state led by Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda, senior leaders Babulal Marandi, Karia Munda and Yashwant Sinha, sources said.

During the yatra, the state leaders, besides highlighting the developmental work initiated by the BJP-led government in the state in the past
five years, will take up the issues of spiralling inflation, step-motherly treatment to the state by Congress-led UPA
government at the Centre, religious conversions, reservation of jobs on religious basis
introduced in some Congress-led states.

“The yatra will not only charge up the party cadre, but also project unity among the party leadership,” senior BJP leader and in charge of Jharkhand Rajnath
Singh told The Tribune here.

Mr Rajnath Singh, who as in charge of Chhattisgarh guided the party to a thumping victory in the Assembly polls there last year, said, “The party is giving maximum thrust to a united fight and equal place for all state leadership to steer the party to great success.”

“Our purpose is to reach out to the people in every nook and corner of the state well in advance and inform them about the party’s commitment to development and also inform them about
various projects already implemented by the BJP-led government,” Mr Singh said.

New Delhi, September 14
Annoyed over Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav’s allegations against its leaders, including Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani, the BJP today warned him against making “baseless allegations” and dubbed him as “a joker in the Congress circus”.

“In a bid to cover up his sins committed in Bihar during the past 15 years of the RJD rule, Mr Yadav has resorted to making condemnable and baseless charges against senior NDA leaders, including Mr Advani, which will not be tolerated by us,” BJP vice-president and spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told newspersons here.

Reacting sharply to Mr Yadav’s allegations, quoting a Time magazine report that Mr Advani was involved in the demolition of the disputed structure in Ayodhya, Mr Naqvi distributed photocopies of the said news report and said, “There was no such mention in the report.”

He also dismissed Mr Yadav’s claims that Mr Advani had been accused of any conspiracy to assassinate Mohammad Ali Jinnah and that Pakistan had declared him “absconder”.

Mr Naqvi circulated a news report of March 6, 2002, quoting the then Pakistani High Commissioner to India, Jehangir Ashraf Qazi, in which he had denied any such case.

“He has launched a sustained campaign to create confusion to divert attention from his misdeeds,” Mr Naqvi said, adding that this had necessitated the issuance of a rejoinder by his party.

New Delhi, September 14
Having lost in the recent Lok Sabha elections, former Home Minister Buta Singh is making one more attempt to enter Parliament.

Congress sources said he was now lobbying hard for a ticket from Bidar in Karnataka. This seat fell vacant when sitting BJP MP Ramchandra Verrappa died recently.

A byelection in Bidar will be held on October 13 along with the Maharashtra Assembly elections and other byelections.

Mr Buta Singh, it is learnt, has met all senior Congress leaders, including party treasurer Motilal Vora, AICC general secretaries Margaret Alva and Ambika Soni, to convince them that he stands a good chance in Bidar since it is a reserved constitutency.

He has also been in touch with the Karnataka leaders .

In case, the former minister does succeed in convincing the party leadership about his prospects, this will mean yet another chance for him.

Mr Buta Singh had first contested from Punjab but moved to neighbouring Rajasthan when the going got too tough for him.

He contested the Jalore seat in Rajasthan in the recent Lok Sabha elections, but lost.

Kolkata, September 14
Over 10 Trinamool Congress MLAs demonstrating in front of the Writers Buildings today were allegedly beaten up by the police. They were arrested, put in a prison van and taken to Lalbazar. TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee was not in the demonstration.

These MLAs and other TMC workers were protesting against the “salishi Bill” and demanding Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s resignation for his failure in maintaining the law and order.

They planned to gherao the Chief Minister and prevent his entry into the office. But their plan was foiled as Mr Bhattacherjee entered the Writers Buildings much before they arrived there.

The TMC MLAs and others arrived near the Writers Buildings around 10 a.m. in batches to avoid arrest for violating Section 144, Cr.PC, They squatted in front of the Writers Buildings, ignoring a heavy rainfall and storm. Carrying black flags, they demanded the Chief Minister’s resignation.

The police swung into action and chased away the demonstrators. This led to a clash between the police and the demonstrators.

New Delhi, September 14
The Delhi police has brought Narender Subba, the main accused in the Milan Limbu Subba murder case, to Delhi for prosecution.

Narender was arrested from Siliguri while he was allegedly trying to escape to Nepal. The police has also arrested four other persons, including Jyoti, wife of M.K. Subba, MP from Tejpur, Assam.

The police arrested Jyoti, Ramsharan, alias Salman (20), Kishor (22) and Ravi Lal Yadav for removing evidences against Narender and for hiding information from the police.

Narender was arrested with the help of the Siliguri police and thereafter he was brought to Delhi on the transit remand.

According to the DCP Southwest district, Mr Dipender Pathak, the deceased and the accused Narender were present at the party hosted at the farmhouse, owned by Mr Subba, near Delhi.

During the party Narender, Milan and another person Ravi Kumar Mohanta, a social activist running an NGO in Siliguri, got into a heated argument. The scuffle continued for around two hours, which led to the shootout. Mr Pathak said Ravi Mohanta was the eyewitness. After committing the crime, Narender escaped to Siliguri.

During investigations, Geeta Limbu Subba, wife of the deceased, informed the police that her husband Milan had been associated with Mani Kumar Subba. He was working as a personnel assistant-cum-manager.

Kolkata, September 14
Two days before the annual general meeting of the Birla Corporation on Thursday, the Birlas will controversy took a new turn, following Calcutta High Court’s decision to grant 10 days time to Rajendra Lodha to submit the original of the registered purported will of Priyamvada Birla by which he has been bequeathed the Rs 5,000 crore worth assets of M P Birla group.

Justice Kalyanjyoti Sengupta passed the order after hearing the submissions from Lodha’s counsel Anindya Mitra with regard to the anomalies pointed by the Testamentary Department in the probate application for legal authentication of the same will.

Earlier, a copy of an unregistered deed of the will was submitted to the court, which later came to the court’s notice after verification.

The court, however, did not take up other anomalies in the Lodha’s probate application, which would be considered when it would decide whether the application was maintainable.

One important anomaly in Lodha’s application, as pointed out by the Testamentary Department, was that it has not been verified by any of the three witnesses of the will.

The Court had earlier taken a note of the anomalies in the Lodha’s probate application mainly after he sought dismissal of probate application of Birlas for legal authentication of purported mutual wills of M P Birla and Priyamvada Birla on the ground that they had not submitted the originals.

Probate applications for both disputed wills are pending before the court.

The shareholders of the Birla Corporation demanded that R.S.Lodha be removed from the board of directors since they had lost all confidence in him as co-chairman of the board. Instead they demanded that an administrator be appointed to look after the corporation. Accordingly, a majority of the shareholders sent a joint petition duly signed to the Company Law Board.

New Delhi, September 14
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has conveyed to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) that it has no objection to the Burmese refugees staying in India till their status is confirmed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The MEA has, however, specified that it would have no objection to the stay of the refugees unless there was a serious allegation against them regarding involvement in criminal activities or breaking the law of the country.

The MEA has issued this clarification in response to the comments sought by the NHRC with regard to the complaint filed by the Asian Centre for Human Rights about the police torture and the arrest of the Burmese on November 12 last year while demonstrating in front of the UNHCR premises in New Delhi.

In a report submitted on January 14 this year, the Additional DCP, South District, had stated that the police resorted to the use of minimum force to disperse the uncontrolled and violent demonstrators.

New Delhi, September 14
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Jaipal Reddy today stressed the need for evolving a political consensus to ensure financial autonomy to Prasar
Bharati.

Speaking at the launch of serial “Jazba’, a joint production of Doordarshan empanelled Producers
Association and Media Vision, Mr Reddy said it was necessary to provide a mechanism that would end Prasar Bharati’s dependence on government for expenditure.

He said all government departments should make it a point to pay public broadcasters who highlight their programmes and initiatives.

He said public funds should be made available to Prasar Bharati as it had to perform various roles. He said Doordarshan was the only television agency that covered the Olympics for which it incurred a loss of nearly Rs 20 crore.

Speaking on the occasion, Prasar Bharati CEO
K.S. Sharma said efforts were on to strengthen marketing network. He said six divisions had been created across the country.

Jaipur, September 14
Mr Prakash Singh, an 18-year-old blind boy from Ludhiana district of Punjab, has joined a disabled couple here in its mission to spread the message of Gurbani to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the installation of Guru Granth Sahib.

They will travel nearly 12,500 km in over six months on a tricycle covering Anandpur Sahib, Katra, Amritsar, Vaishno Devi and a number of important places in Bihar, Maharashtra and southern states and pay obesience at gurdwaras and other sacred shrines.

Mr Kuldeep Singh (40), a disabled, told The Tribune that he came to the pink city from his Kamathi village in Nagpur district of Maharashtra for the treatment of his wife, Ranjeet Kaur, and to get her Jaipur foot through the Mahavir Viklang Sahayata Samiti at S.M.S. Hospital. During their stay, they came into contact with Mr Prakash Singh.

The trio, who left Jaipur on Sunday by their tricycle, was given a hearty send-off at one of the oldest gurdwaras located at Heeda Ki Mori in old city.

Before the departure they were presented siropas by Jathedar Baba Sohan Singh.

Lucknow, September 14
The Uttar Pradesh Government has declared 61 districts out of 70 districts in the state as drought-hit, suspending revenue recovery from these areas till the end of the current fiscal year. So far, 61 districts have been declared drought-hit as over 50 per cent of kharif crop was damaged due to poor rainfall.

A central drought assessment team, headed by Chief Secretary
V.K. Mittal, had visited some of the affected areas in the state and discussed remedial measures with senior officials. The state government has urged the Centre for a drought-relief package of Rs 7000 crore. It has also asked for relief in repayment of loans and interests.

Last night
Faizabad, Deoria, Maharajganj and Shahjahanpur were declared drought-hit by the government. The revenue recovery in these districts have been stopped with immediate effect till March 31, 2005. The lack of normal rainfall in some districts and scanty downpour in most others has created this problem. To compound the crisis, farmers had not been able to run tubewells due to the lack of power supply. With diesel being costly, most farmers were not able to buy adequate fuel to irrigate their fields.
— UNI

New Delhi, September 14
The area covered under rice, pulses and cereals for the kharif season is below normal. However, that for oilseeds has reached an all-time high despite an erratic and deficient rainfall in July and September.

Only groundnut has registered a marginal fall in acreage while the country’s staple crop, rice, has shown about 7 per cent decline in area coverage so far. The area covered under pulses, rice and cereals is less than last year’s acreage. The acreage for pulses so far is normal at 128.5 lakh hectares, but is lower than 147.8 lakh hectares last year.

Rice has been sown on 321.2 lakh hectares so far compared to 345.9 lakh hectares in the corresponding period last year, an official statement said today.

There was a record 171.5 lakh hectares acreage for oilseeds as on September 10 against 152.71 lakh hectares on the same day last year and the normal acreage of 147.1 hectares.

New Delhi, September 14
Punjab Pardesh Congress Committee (PPCC) vice-president M.M. Singh Cheema called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here today and apprised him of the political situation in the state.

Mr Cheema impressed upon the Prime Minister that farmers in the state also needed to be provided cash incentives to diversify and go in for contract farming.

The Prime Minister assured Mr Cheema that all suggestions made were under active consideration.

Hyderabad, September 14
The Andhra Pradesh Government has released Rs 20 crore for taking up heart operations on 419 kids suffering from various cardiac ailments in the state.

A meeting chaired by Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy with senior officials here yesterday discussed the issue of rendering medical help to the young patients with representatives of corporate hospitals.

It was decided at the meeting that the government would release funds to procure medical equipment for the government hospitals to share in the gigantic task while corporate hospitals would also put in their resources to help in the cause.

The government has released Rs 25,000 each for carrying operations on 419 kids who had been diagnosed recently at various hospitals in the city as requiring heart surgery urgently. The predicament of young heart patients spread across the state who are too poor to undergo operations was brought to limelight last month by the Mahajana Sangarshna Samithi.

New Delhi, September 14
The All-India Muslim Personal Law Board today distanced itself from its vice-president Syed Kalb-e-Sadiq’s views favouring family planning for Muslims, saying that it was his personal view.

Board member Kamal Farooqi told The Tribune that Mr Sadiq’s views should not be taken as the view of the board.

Mr Farooqi said the board was against any kind of forcible methods for limiting the family. He said the population growth was a national problem and should not discussed as a problem of a particular community.

The Census data indicate that in areas of low literacy, irrespective of the community, there had been growth in population, he added. Stating that the board could discuss the issue in its December general body meeting, the board member said there has been no notice to bring the issue on the agenda.

New Delhi, September 14
The Kashmiri Pandits observed Martyrs Day today and remembered the Kashmiri Pandits who fell victim to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir in the past decade and a half.

They accused the successive governments of ignoring their plight and demanded their involvement in the peace process.

“Nobody is concerned about the fate of the community which is on the verge of extinction”, Mr M.K. Kaw, President of the All-India Kashmiri Samaj, said. Referring to the ongoing peace process with the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference, Mr Kaw demanded the representation of his community in the dialogue.

Mr Kaw criticised the political parties for raising a hue and cry over the 2001 Census and the growth of the population of various communities. Quoting the data available with the National Human Rights Commission, he said the population of the Kashmiri Pandits had declined from 15 per cent in 1941 to 0.1 per cent in 1991.

New Delhi, September 14
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil today chaired a high-level meeting on Kashmir during which all issues pertaining to the security in the state and dialogue with separatist leaders, including the Hurriyat Conference, were discussed.

New Delhi, September 14
Professor Rajesh Kochhar, Director, NISTADS (National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies), New Delhi, has been elected a member of the Executive Committee of WAITRO (World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organisation), at its recently concluded Biennial Congress in Nairobi, Kenya.

WAITRO is an independent non-profit global network of research and technological organisations. Set up more than 30 years ago under UN auspices, it is currently headquartered in Malaysia and has a membership of about 200 labs from about 30 countries. Professor Kochhar will represent the Asia-Pacific region in the Executive Committee during his two-year term.

Mumbai, September 14
A Gujarat police team arrived here today to record the statement of key witness in the Best bakery suit Zaheera Sheikh in a case pertaining to threats allegedly made to her by a Vadodara MLA.

“The team will be here for two or three days and recorded the statement of Zaheera and her family,” said Mr Teesta Setalvad, a member of the Citizens for Peace and Justice, an NGO that has been helping Zaheera.

The team is here following the Supreme Court notice to the Gujarat Government asking it to list steps taken in pursuance of an FIR filed by Zaheera.
— PTI

BRIEFLY

Chhattisgarh CM leaves for 3-nation tour
New Delhi: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on Monday left with senior officials on a three-nation tour visit to seek investment in the mineral-rich state. Before leaving on his first overseas visit as Chief Minister, Mr Raman Singh said he would tell investors about the resources in Chhattisgarh. Officials said Mr Raman Singh would visit the UK, Switzerland and Germany.
— TNS

Bank robbed of Rs 4 crore
Raipur: Armed robbers made away with Rs 4 crore from a branch of State Bank of Indore, located on the busy MG road, in the state capital today. SSP Ashok Juneja said five persons, armed with countrymade revolvers, entered the bank at 10 am. Quoting the bank staff, he said the robbers took the head cashier and a cashier to the strong room at gunpoint and decamped with about Rs 4 crore in bundles of Rs 500 denomination.
— UNI

Film named after Laloo
Patna: A film titled “Padmshree Laloo Prasad Yadav’’ is all set to hit the screen, but the movie is a comedy and not a commentary on the life
of the chrismatic Bihar leader. Director Mahesh Manjrekar, who plays a key role in the movie, says Laloo’s fun-loving image has prompted
him to choose the rare title. — UNI

Work resumes in UP courts
LUCKNOW: Normal work resumed in all the courts in Uttar Pradesh to temporarily withdraw their agitation against police action on lawyers in Lucknow on September 3. The Joint Bar Association (JBA) led by Shiv Saram Upadhya held a meeting today and decided to withdraw their agitation for the time being, an association spokesman said.
— PTI